I was originally planning to get five books this week, but Nuclear Comics in Mission Viejo was sold out/didn’t get Age of Reptiles: Ancient Egyptians #4, and I forgot to ask. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for it next week.

Casanova: Acedia #4

I’ll be perfectly honest with you: I haven’t read this yet. I have Acedia issues 1-3 as well and I like to savor my Casanova books and read them in one sitting, preferably with coffee. But Fraction/Ba/Moon’s Casanova books are the comics that got me back into comics years ago. They’re the books that made this disillusioned lover of postmodern fiction realize that incredible things and literary things are going on between the pages of comic books that don’t involve capes or punching. And I’ll always love Casanova for that. Also there is some punching.

Plutona #1

Speaking of capes (which, for those of you who aren’t huge comic nerds, is code-speak for superheroes), Plutona is a really oblique look at the superhero genre. The focus on this first issue is on a group of middle school kids who are all various amounts of dirtbag in depressingly realistic ways. And it ends (spoiler!) with them finding the body of a famous and mysterious hero in the woods. Emi Lenox, with her distinct cartoony-inky style, is a surprising choice for drawing superheroes but is a perfect choice for this more slice-of-life look at kids who live in a world in which masked vigilantes happen to exist.

8House #3: Kiem

The 8House series is a really cool way to have a lot of different stories set in a singular universe. Brandon Graham (from King City/Multiple Warheads/Prophet) is the mastermind behind this universe that he’s sharing with some other writers and a bunch of artists. The issues have different subtitles and are thus different parts of the story. The first two issues were subtitled Arclight, drawn by Marian Churchland, and set in a heavily fantastic warrior culture. Issue #3 is subtitled Kiem and is drawn by Xurxo G. Penalta and set in a very science fiction-y enclave. The art is gorgeous and hyper-detailed, bringing to mind Moebius’ work (especially the coloring) and the story hints at a lot of depth that I’m looking forward to discovering.

Jem and the Holograms #6

I didn’t grow up with Jem and her rock and roll band, but my kids and wife and I love that silly 80s cartoon quite a bit. I and my daughter are the target audience for this book and this is the issue that wraps up the first arc. First of all, the Sophie Campbell’s artwork on this book is astounding, with an incredible combination of Jamie McKelvie-style clear line and a more fluid, manga-influenced style. The colors are dazzling as well. This book does the best representation of music on a comics page in a book out right now (yes, even compared to Wicked + Divine). The story has been hilarious and heartfelt, just like the best episodes of the show.